Leone Rowan

Leone Wilma Rowan died peacefully at Farmstead Care Center, Moorhead, MN, under the care of Hospice and surrounded by her children. Memorial Services will be held on Friday, July 18, 2025, at 11 a.m., with visitation at 10 a.m., at Karvonen Funeral Home in Wadena, MN, with Donna Uselman officiating.

Leone was born on January 25, 1941, in Spearfish, South Dakota, to parents John Conrad (J.C.) and Agnes Pearson. They moved to Minnesota when she was six years old, first to Bluegrass and then to a farm near Hewitt. She graduated from Bertha High School in 1960. In 1961, she married her childhood sweetheart, Jerry Rowan. She and Jerry had dated off and on since she was 14, and she often said she tried dating other boys, but they were too boring! Leone and Jerry farmed and had dairy cows for nearly 40 years, with lots of side gigs to fund their travel and toys.

For many years, they grew 15 acres of sweetcorn, employing family, friends, and neighbor kids who picked truckloads of corn and sold it out of the backs of trailers and pickups across the region. When they sold the cows, Leone started working as a teller at Mid-Central Federal Savings and Loan. In 2011, after 15 years at the bank, she retired as a Vice President. When she retired, Leone began knitting felted purses that she gave away and sold at craft shows.

Leone lived with passion, joy, and determination. She was a lifelong learner and welcomed change. Although she didn’t turn on a computer until she was 50, she never met a computer, program, or app she couldn’t master. She loved playing cards, camping, 4-wheeling, knitting, cooking, baking, rock hounding, travel, Elvis, and learning new things.

She also loved deeply and made friends wherever she went. With her simple words and grace, she helped many women and families through their darkest times. She was very involved in Al-Anon and after surviving breast cancer in her 50s, was on the committee for the Relay for Life of Wadena County.

Leone will be remembered for her compassion, resilience, non-judgmental presence, sense of adventure, and no-nonsense attitude. When she made a decision, she moved forward without wasting any time and with no regrets. She died the same way—quickly and on her terms.

Leone was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry, on May 23, 2024; her parents; in-laws Edwin and Neioma Rowan; brothers-in-law, Gene Seaver and Alvin Finn; and sisters-in-law Arlene Deckert and Carol Rowan. She is survived by her children, Tammy (Tim) Noteboom and Mike (Amy) Rowan; sisters Barb Finn and Shirley Seaver; brother David (Judy) Pearson; brother-in-law, Herman Deckert; grandchildren, Adam (Abby) Rowan, Ben Noteboom, and Jordan (Sierra) Rowan; great grandchildren, Ellie, Lawson, and Shepard Rowan; many nieces and nephews; a host of friends; and two special young women who called her Grandma, Mantha and Emma.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Relay for Life of Wadena County (#5MAWGX) or Living Legacy Gardens, Staples, MN. The family would like to thank the staff at Essentia Health, Fargo, ND, and Farmstead Living, Moorhead, MN, for providing wonderful care and support in her final days.

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